Ugly Gun Sunday

This week's subject came to my attention via e-mail from a reader (thanks Ed). Pink guns are nothing new here, but pink "realtree" camoflauge pattern certainly is. I guess this is something to do with deer being unable to see the same colors people do. Lucky them. Imagine showing up in deer camp with this. You'll spend more time explaining it's a technical advantage and not a sexual orientation statement than you would hunting deer.

Jerky Barbecue

Yesterday's trip to the Fiji barbecue was pretty much what all of the barbecues are here on post: good intentions, horrible food. That's due to the relative isolation of North Camp. Supplies are purchased from the local club on post, that gets them from the same supply as the mess hall. So what you get is the same steak: a half-inch thick piece of gristle reminiscent of partially hydrated jerky. Locally speaking, that's good eating. I prefer foods that don't leave me with a muscle fatigue induced aching jaw for the next day. So I stick with the overcooked chicken breasts. If you have some water in your mouth at the same time as the chicken, it'll break down fairly quickly so you can swallow it.

First stop after getting home and release: Outback Steakhouse. Filet Mignon, sweet potato with butter and brown sugar, Sam Adam's beer. The shock to my system will be huge, but it's worth it.

Boredom

Stuck in the clinic as duty medic for most of the weekend, which is Friday-Saturday here. Generally, this isn't very exciting. I hope it stays that way. The Fijian contingent is having a barbecue during the time we get a break, so I will get the chance to see how that is.

"the gun was left by a veteran member of the SWAT team who forgot the weapon in the grass while packing up gear after the standoff ended."

In the Army, one of the worst examples of neglect you can commit is losing a weapon. Essentially, there is no good reason to lose a weapon if you are concious. I have seen entire bases locked down for one missing rifle. When the problem reaches that level of command, at least one person's career is shot.

That's not to say I don't feel sympathy for this guy. I've had a rifle stolen from under my care many years ago by OPFOR during field exercises. I spent a good portion of the duty shift trying not to vomit from nausea after finding it missing, until a grinning Specialist handed it back to me in the morning, having been highly praised for infiltrating the center of camp and bringing back with my rifle. I can say that never happened to me again. I'd guess if this member of the SWAT team was in the same state when he found out, and it probably will have the same effect on him: if it's not in my hands, it's on my back; if it's not on my back, it's locked up.

What needs to be done, besides some degree of punishment to make a point, is a review of how SWAT teams manage accountability for sensitive equipment. This wasn't just an individual failure. Where was the team leader when it was time to leave the scene? Why didn't he do an equipment survey before leaving? How often are sensitive items accounted for? It speaks volumes about security practices and leader responsibility when it's a homeowner calling in to report a missing police weapon. There should be more than one person receiving punishment in this case.

Ugly Gun Sunday

Keeping in our theme from the previous post, "stupid things to do related to critters", we have another fine example of technical excellence, aesthetic ignorance.

Somehow, I see the owner of this being the kind of guy who likes to stay in the background, not draw attention to himself, and just sort of hang out. You know, subtle, cool, and debonair. Someone like this guy:

Stupid Is As Stupid Does

"the hospitalized student later said the panda was so cute and cuddly he never expected to be bitten".

"the disgruntled bear later stated he stopped once he felt full, but he was hungry again an hour later....."

Apparently they have people who watch too many Disney-inspired movies in China too.

Cold and Flu Season

Once again, it's time to get flu shots; but, even the Army modernizes sooner or later, so now the medics are able to use the inhaled version. I personally still prefer the needle; the inhaled stuff seems to burn like hell when I've used it.
Once we've taken care of ourselves, it's on to everbody else. Here, the Colombian infantry line up. No hyperventilating or fainting in this bunch.